An anatomical theatre dating from the 1660s, Sweden’s first botanical garden and Bronze Age burial mounds show the many different ways to discover Uppsala. There are also museums covering the city’s and region’s history, depictions of nature and trails by Ekoln.
Getting around Uppsala
Uppsala Cathedral is about a 15-minute walk, approximately 1 km, from the central railway station. It is accessible to wheelchairs and rollators. Two other landmarks provide a sense of the city’s layout: Stabby backe and Stabbyskogen are about three kilometres west of central Uppsala. Uppsala simarena is in the Gränby district, near Gränbystaden.
Buildings, gardens and history
Gustavianum is the oldest surviving building at Uppsala University. It houses an anatomical theatre built in the 1660s for public dissections. Uppsala Castle is home to three museums. Linnéträdgården is home to Sweden’s first botanical garden; the Linnémuseet is in the former professor’s residence where Carl von Linné and his family lived during the second half of the 18th century.
Upplandsmuseet also brings a historic building together with a long view of the region. It is housed in an old mill dating from the 1760s on Kvarnholmen, by the Fyrisån in central Uppsala. Its permanent exhibition covers 5,000 years of Uppland’s history, from the Stone Age to the present day. The main exhibition features more than 1,000 objects.
Nature in the museum and greenhouse
Biotopia is an interactive museum in Vasaparken that introduces visitors to the nature of Uppland. Dioramas depict several hundred Swedish animals in lifelike landscapes. The Tropiska växthuset offers a different focus: it houses Uppsala’s only rainforest, as well as orchids, banana and coffee plants, and plants from deserts and other dry regions. The nature theme thus ranges from native animals and landscapes to plants from a variety of habitats.
Gamla Uppsala and its burial grounds
The Gamla Uppsala Museum is devoted to the Iron Age. It features unique finds, models, image displays and audio stories; there is also a play area for children. In the archaeological area of Gamla Uppsala, walking trails circle a large burial ground with monumental burial mounds. The museum exhibitions and outdoor trails offer different ways to explore the site’s history.
The Hågahögen burial mound is about 3,000 years old and dates from the Bronze Age. It is believed to be the grave of an important person, measures approximately 50 metres in diameter and stands 7 metres high. These approximate age and measurements give an idea of the scale of this archaeological structure.
Trails and a historic railway
The Upplandsleden trail section at Flottsund runs west along the shore of Ekoln. From Skarholmen, it heads north parallel to Gula Stigen and continues to Studenternas IP, near the hospital and the City Garden.
Lennakatten is a historic heritage railway. It runs along a narrow-gauge railway dating from the late 19th century, from Uppsala Ă–stra to Faringe. Uppsala Ă–stra station is behind Uppsala Resecentrum on Stationsgatan. Operating days and timetables may vary; check them when planning your trip.
Discover more destinations: Almunge, Storvreta, Björklinge, Järlåsa.
Return to the main travel overview: Uppsala.
